The Human Cost of Power: Women, Blood, and Legacy

Why are we still so obsessed with the Tudors after five centuries?

In this week’s Tuesday Historian Chat, I’m joined by historian and author Elizabeth Goff to explore the women, myths, and memories that continue to define Tudor history. From Penelope Devereux and Katherine Parr to the Grey sisters, we talk about which Tudor women stand out - and which have had their reputations unfairly flattened by history.

We dig into the lack of confirmed images for Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard, question whether the Tudors truly deserve their reputation for brutality, and ask who the real “Bloody” monarch actually was. The conversation turns to Elizabeth I’s carefully constructed legacy - including her relationship with clothing, image, and power - and the haunting afterlife of her gowns under James I.

We also revisit some of the most devastating decisions of the age: the executions of Mary, Queen of Scots and Lady Jane Grey, the human cost of dynastic power, and what might have happened had Mary Stuart lived. Along the way, we confront Tudor execution practices, public violence, and the moment Elizabeth was told the truth about her mother’s death.

A thoughtful, wide-ranging conversation about power, memory, and the women who lived - and died - in the shadow of the Tudor crown.

Bloody, Brilliant Tudors: 100 Tales of Gowns, Gossip, and Gory Ends

Elizabeth Goff on Instagram

Host: Rebecca Larson

Guest: Elizabeth Goff

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